by Harlon Banks
Jonath wondered if he'd wasted his time ever trying to hide most of his powers from the old man, considering his glowing eyes gave it away all this time and he never thought about it. A light snort of annoyance at his own stupidity before he just forgot all about the thing. He told Jeremy everything he knew at this point, no use thinking about whatever secretive intentions he had before. A light shrug and raising of his arms in defeat and Jonath tilted his head in agreement.
"Yeah... I guess that's a good indication if anything. You might be wrong about being able to tell if I'm lying though just off looking at my eyes. I could just be emotional or something." He popped his fingers looking off out the open window to his right beside the bed over the nightstand; a light yet soothing night-time breeze blowing inside parting the white curtains and feeling good against his skin.
"Maybe." Jeremy quipped with a half-assed shrug as he put the clothes up. "But I use what I can get to make assumptions, don't correct me I'm the old wise guy here boy." He snorted seemingly disgusted Jonath just tried to imply he were wrong. Jonath standing up with a shrug as hands moved into his pants pockets and his bare feet rubbed against the soft cream-colored carpet in comfort.
"Right. Right. Sorry Grand Master Jeremy." The silver-haired amnesic eye rolled looking off to the door now momentarily before making his way to it. Jeremy didn't seem to mind Jonath was leaving, as he made no attempt to tell him he couldn't; instead looking up at the tall young man one last time as he opened the door and headed to his room for the rest of the night.
"Make sure you pack up your stuff tonight, cause you're going to be leaving early in the morning. It's not a school mind you, it's more like boot camp or something of the similar. Your mind, body and spirit will be conditioned and you'll learn control and ability. They give you assignments similar to contracts to complete as well when you reach a certain level of expectations. Good way to earn some money and other rewards as well as earn a reputation with the city. The Royal Guard had a few members climb that high from doing this stuff." Jeremy made sure to clarify that where he was sending Jonath off to was nothing like school or college. The amnesic glancing over his shoulder momentarily with a canted head and slightly narrowed eyes looking off into space. He didn't want to go, in all honesty... but there was no way to talk his way out of this. Whether he was put off by the thought or not one thing was clear, Jonath couldn't survive in this world without a grasp on his own powers... If there were others around like him in a consistent scene then maybe... Maybe he'd fit in with something.
Know thy name, and remember... Jonath.
Those strange incomprehensible symbols made perfect sense to his mind despite his eyes not understanding what the hell he were looking at back then... What language was that? Was it even a language or was it all in his head? From those symbols, to being able to see his own death, to his fight with Liariana, Jonath had a lot to discover about himself before he were ever capable of discovering anything beyond his body like his past. Baby steps... He had to take baby steps...
"Yeah, I'll be ready in the morning." Jonath closed the door behind himself after saying that and headed to his room. A short while later, after having showered and cleaned himself up into a new change of clothes consisting of a black tank top and shorts with calf high socks, Jonath stood before his bed. Pale eyes looking over the messenger bag, duffel bag, and satchel of belongings he'd prepared laid side by side and stuffed with things like toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, extra clothes and the rest of those items he never used given to him to go to the ruins like healing spray and light gems. Truth be told did he even need the healing spray? He had regeneration abilities... Better safe than sorry he guessed.
His eyes focused on the combat knife he had brought with him to the ruins, now lying on the bed over near the pillow. Mind briefly remembering the ethereal chains that wrapped his left arm and tethered to the dagger when he underwent that awakening. The knife back then looked phantom crystalline in appearance when he had used it to fight Liariana yet now it looked no different from any other knife. He wanted to try to replicate what he experienced back then, but now wasn't the time. He didn't know how to control his powers, trying to use them now would only make things worse.
Know the name, and remember...
A simple scoff, and Jonath moved all his packed up stuff to the foot of his bed before sprawling across the sheets and turning out the light, now laying in complete darkness save for the dim moonlight pouring through the pulled back curtains of the window. Arms behind head as he stared up at the ceiling in deep emptiness of the mind. So many questions that ate at him, yet he couldn't answer any of them yet even after all the hectic stuff he'd been through the past few days. Wren's comment about him keeping secrets replayed over a hundred times in the back of his head. He told Jeremy everything, why couldn't he tell Wren? Why did Jonath always feel uneasy around that man? He didn't know, it was just a deep churning feeling that always seemed to disturb him no matter how calm he was earlier.
Wren seemed like a friend... So why was Jonath so unnerved by him? Was it just paranoia?
Closing his eyes, Jonath just tried to forget about it all and get some more rest for tomorrow. Tomorrow, where he was sure his life would really start picking up... A facility that Jeremy described as boot camp for people like him who either couldn't control their powers, or were undergoing rehabilitation or anything of the similar. Snorting in disbelief to himself as he pulled the blankets up and turned to sleep on his left side as he muttered ever so quietly.
"This will be either the best decision I've made yet, or a terrible mistake."
The next morning... At the gates of Luminous City...
The air was warm and calm, the full moon as vibrant as ever above in a clear night sky void of stars. The chatter all around the Worker's District sparse and quiet as the city began to wake up again to get their days started; Jonath and Jeremy standing right outside the gates off by the edge with the formers bags at his feet and wearing a black hooded unzipped and open jacket with a black undershirt, black cargo shorts and high top black and white shoes with fingerless gloves. Jeremy meanwhile was wearing a simple overalls outfit of brown and black with dirty workers boots. His shaggy grey hair swept back and cleanly trimmed across weathered dark-skinned features and holding his cane with both hands before him erect on the ground.
A steel grey prison bus rolling up on them soon from the valley and parking nearby as a man got out and began loading up Jonath's luggage after confirming with Jeremy he was the kid. Jonath vaguely grimacing at the appearance of the bus and the large grizzled man dressed like a prison guard taking his stuff. Boot camp huh...
"That looks so inviting..." Jonath muttered with a deadpan. Jeremy nudging his arm with an elbow and snorting amused at the young man's impression.
"You're tough, you can hold out kid. Remember every weekend just show the guards the card I ordered for you and you'll be able to leave the facility grounds on your own and come visit me. They'll give you a ride to and from. They teach you a bit of stuff too I'm sure you'll find helpful in life and even give you assignments that reward greatly if you pull em off." Jeremy tried to cheer Jonath up with the pros of going but Jonath didn't seem all that enthused regardless. Merely side eyeing Jeremy with a delayed deadpan before the driver of the bus gestured Jonath to get on.
"Got a long ride ahead of us kid come on, got others on the bus I'm sure you want to get acquainted with before we hit the facility." The deep baritone words of the dressed in black muscular man-made Jonath want to just turn around and go home. There were other people on the bus too? Ugh... Who knows how crazy they were... Jeremy tapped Jonath one last time on the back and nudged him forward before turning to trot back into the city. Jonath looking over the shoulder at the older man walking away a bit nervous and unsure of continuing on but not daring to chase after Jeremy like some toddler screaming because their parents were leaving them alone.
"Behave and you'll be back before ya know it. Excel
in the stuff they make you do and you will be set for life with work for the city and who knows? Maybe you'll be a part of the Royal Guard themselves if you're really good. Later kid." Jeremy waved over the shoulder without looking and soon disappeared into the crowd of people. Jonath standing there silent, pale eyes looking solemn for a moment as he looked over his own shoulder back at the bus, forcing himself to remember the reason he convinced himself to see this through again. The bus horn honked again, Jonath could feel eyes staring at him through the tinted windows of the bus behind him waiting to drive off into the valley, he should hurry up...
Taking one last close up look at the city, and Jonath turned to head towards the bus to get on it. No turning back now...
The doors closed and the bus pulled off, and the next chapter of Jonath's life began.
If only he knew what events awaited him in the future... If only he knew...
The common black bell rang again deeply across the city...
Original Rejects
The Challenger Chapter Twenty-Six: Original Rejects
The metal and glass paneled doors slid shut promptly behind Jonath, the bus driver thumbing behind him for Jonath to go take a seat. Jonath's gaze turning to look down the narrow walkway of the bus at the many voices that went quiet when he got on; a multitude of eyes focusing on him as he covertly avoided eye contact with everyone as he made his way to the back. The bus was only halfway filled, several seats at the front clearly open to sit by himself; however Jonath didn't want to look timid or give the wrong impression by sitting close to the driver especially considering most of the others aboard were in the back half of the bus too. Calm as ever despite the awkwardness of the situation, Jonath kept his lackadaisical, nonchalant expression and just moved to the back of the bus. As he walked he caught attention almost immediately, as expected.
"Oh shit, never seen that hair and eye color combination before; you a foreigner?" An extremely pretty light-skinned girl to his left asked in a calm friendly tone with a slight smile of interest and arms hanging over the spine of the seat before her. She had shoulder length, ruffled and slightly spiky black hair that contoured and covered the right side of her face masking her right eye. Her left eye (the only one that were visible) a piercing cerulean blue that glowed faintly in the low light just like his and upon closer inspection looked to have the coloration itself dance like a vague flame across the lower part of her Melissa. The first thing that crossed his mind upon looking in her eyes was what Jeremy said about mystic eyes like his being rare, and already he'd met another girl aside from Liariana with soft glowing eyes just like his...
"No... I'm not." Jonath responded with a delay as he refrained from telling them he were an amnesic. Sitting in the empty seat across from her as the bus began to drive across the old dirt road towards the forest. The talking resuming around him from the others as the girl who spoke to him shrugged running a hand through the bangs that covered her right eye. Her cerulean blue left eye focusing on him with an unintentional sultry gaze to it (possibly influence by her hairstyle). She was dressed in a short-sleeved black shirt with dark-colored Capri pants and open toed calf high black boots with forearm length cotton fingerless arm warmers on both arms. Her figure implied she was tall, probably around his height and was rather well endowed all around in proportions akin to a gymnastics or acrobatics enthusiast. Her voice smooth as water as she spoke to Jonath while eyeing him up and down taking in his rather odd yet pleasant-looking aesthetic.
"I like your hair." The girl said with a harmless sneer as she cocked a finger at his spiky platinum silver hair. "It compliments the flawless pale skin, toned physique and pretty soft glowing eyes ya got going on there pretty boy." She chuckled at the end teasing, Jonath immediately grimacing at the phrase 'pretty boy', turning in his seat to rest his left leg across it while his back rested against the window behind him. Moonlight gleaming across his bright-hued hair only further instigating the girls assumption of him being a pretty boy.
"My name is Jonath." He responded with a quiet exhale of annoyance. The girl raising a brow at him as her hard hued eye softened in stare at him. Mimicking his posture as she turned to rest both her legs along the bus seat and cross her arms.
"Jonath huh?" She repeated tilting her head with a hum. "That's an odd name, sounds cryptic. I'll call ya Jon though cause it sounds less stressful on the tongue." She snickered briefly. Jonath shrugging as he looked off to the side. At this point that might as well be his name anyway ever since Dal started calling him that.
"My name's Melissa, Melissa Ylrah. I'm from Shade Valley if you know where that be?" Melissa asked not really expecting him to know of the place. Jonath slightly shaking his head as he side eye glanced back her way for a few seconds when he replied. He instantly got a vibe not unlike from when he first met Liariana from this woman.
"Can't say I know where that is. Does everyone from there have eyes like that?" He asked without realizing it and briefly tensed up when she blinked curiously at him. Shit, he didn't want to get into personal matters... This girl right off the bat looked like she was rather sly and cunning with words. A small chuckle leaving her lips as they creased into a white smile.
"Hm? Oh nah, I'm a rarity." She lightly rolled her shoulders blowing stray strands of black hair from her lips. "Got arrested for messing around with my powers and causing a bit of mayhem and got shipped off to the same facility they're dragging you too. Nightborn aren't really seen in good light if you haven't noticed yet, at least not most of em. I probably helped create that stigma too but whatever." She paused now idly examining her well-kept nails. So this girl here openly admits she came here out of delinquency? Jonath can't say he were surprised...
"What about you?" Melissa looked upon him with her half hidden gaze again. "You get in trouble and get pushed into doing this too?" She asked. Jonath shaking his head as he continued to look off out the window.
"Nah..." He said softly. "My old man sent me here because my powers were getting a bit too strong for me to control." He said partially lying to make him seem more of a tough guy to stave off any chances Melissa might have had of messing with him later. A slight sneer creeping across her features, hair brushing over her left eye before a light-colored hand raised to brush it back into place.
"Pretty boy bad boy huh? It suits ya if I say so myself. You give off that quiet loner, cryptic vibe too the more I talk to ya. If I sound like I'm coming on to ya I want to apologize, I like teasing people." She said pausing again to go back to eyeing her nails as the bus rocked and rattled over the bumpy road. Jonath not saying anything else for a few minutes as the two seemed to have ended their conversation just like that. If anything though, Jonath felt a bit at ease Melissa was the first person he'd talked to since stepping on this bus; her laid back and chill demeanor was a lot more relaxing than when he interacted with Liariana.
Speaking of her... Jonath wondered where she was now... What she were doing...
Time passed... The night dragged on... The bus rode on...
It felt like an hour had passed... The group being driven across a paved pathway through the Luminous Forest now. Jonath having fell halfway asleep to the rocking of the bus. Melissa having fallen asleep too, both waking up eventually when a couple of riled up voices from the back behind their seats made them open their eyes and groggily peer behind them at what was going on.
"That smug attitude of yours is pissing me off." A disheveled scarlet red-haired, lean built and fair-skinned young man growled standing in the walkway of his seat back against the window and glaring at someone. His bright red blank shirt quickly drawing eyes with its loud coloration along with his clear short temper. Amber yellow eyes glaring across at the target of his aggression, a pale skinned person with short unkempt cyan blue hued hair, reserved features and icy blue eyes wearing a black hoodie. Frost exhaling out of the latter's mouth as his eyes closed and he sighed deeply. Jonath and Melissa exchanging glances as the latter shrugged slightly and both turned their att
ention back to the growing tensions.
"That loud attitude of yours is annoying me as well, how about you shut up and sit back down before your voice gives me ear cancer." The reserved male huffed aloof and calm with a voice that sounded powerfully serene and apathetic, a stark contrast from the aggressive, cocky attitude of the red-haired man across from him popping off at the mouth.
"Know who those people are?" Jonath whispered with narrowed eyes to Melissa, the girl nodding slightly as she whispered back to him as the two boys in front of them kept exchanging words.
"I managed to peek at the list of people the driver picked up when he got off the bus to pick up luggage a few times, had pictures and all beside the names. The red-haired guys name is Delaren Igniter, he's apparently an orphan who was sent here because his aggression made him a danger to society where he came from. He's pretty powerful from what his history stated." She gestured to Delaren, then thumbed to the other. "The calm one is Wrain Winter, he's a prodigy from what I read on his info. His powers been nicknamed 'Absolute Zero' and he's done some pretty impressive things. Didn't get a chance to see why he of all people decided to come to the facility.. however it's a typical fire and ice don't mix thing with them. They've been bickering ever since I got in this bus." she trailed off in thought. Jonath canting his head in silence as he mulled over her words. Delaren and Wrain huh?
